Oil-pump battery unit



A. E. DAVENPORT 1,730,119

OIL PUMP BATTERY UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 23. 1928 gmmtw Oct; 1,1929.

OIL PUMP BATTERY UNIT Filed July 25, 1928 A. E. DAVENPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet2 A t'. D/IYENPOAT.

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f Patented a. 1,1929

ARTHUR E. navnm'on'r, or ma'xwoon, rumors OIL-PUMP BATTERY UNI'I.

Application filed July 28,

'This invention is directed to a unit cabinet container for thereception of a plurality of oil tanks and connected umps to group thetanks and pumps for isplay purposes and for the convenient delivery ofthe diiferent grades or kinds of oils in the tanks.

Cabinets of this character are designed to receive and house, as a unitstructure, several, usually four or more, tanks with their connectedpumps, the respective pumps being designed to contain different gradesof the same oil or different oils. The cabinet is usually positioned onthe island platforms of filling stations and make for convenience andexpedition in service, in that a customer may drive'his car alongsidethe cabinet, select the desired oil, and be served directl from thecabinet without loss of time and with reasonable certainty of thecharacter of the product.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a cabinet inwhich the tanks and carried pumps may be independently assembled orremoved, together with means for securing the assembled tanks as a unitwith the cabinet, the complete independence of the tanks permitting theremoval or replacement of any one without disturbing the remainingtanks.

A further object is the provision of a cabinet in which the tanks formthe lower front and rear walls, the area above thetanks being providedwith movable closures, which when displaced open the upper area of thecabinet in which the pumps are located for full display from both frontand rear of the cabinet, permitting use from front or rear asconvenient.

A further object is to provide closures for the open area of the cabinetwhich slide downwardly to expose the pumps under a dash-pot retarder,permitting the closures to be merely released from the closed positionswithout further attention.

A further object is the provision of means whereby the respective tanksare secured in relatively fixed relation in the cabinet, the

securing means serving at the same time to prevent upward movement ofany of the 59 tanks.

192s. stain 110. 294,910.

A further object is the provision of a removable hood provided withconcealed illuminatlng means, said hood serving as a refiector to floodlight the pumps and having means to interlock with the closures when thelatter are raised, a single key-controlled lock govermng all lockingmeans.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanymg drawings, wherein Figure1 is a perspective view of the improved battery unit, the doors beingshown 60 in ra sed or closed position. r

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cabinet w1th parts removed.

3 is an inverted view of the hood.

F1g. 4 1s a sectional detail of the retarding provlslons for theclosures.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the locking means.

The battery unit comprises a skeleton frame, including side walls 1 and2, connected near their lower ends by end bars 3 and side bars 4, and atpoints intermediate their lengths by side bars 7. The side bars 7 and 4are connected by upright frame bars 5, which are continued beyond bars 4to provide feet 6. The upper edges of the bars 7 are inwardly flanged orcurved to constitute a tie or stay for the tanks, as will later appear.The bars 3 and thaw inwardly extending flanges 101 and 9, respectively,to form a support for the tanks, a supporting strut 1]. connected to thebars 3 at their midlengths, providing addition tank support.

Thehead room above the cross bars 7 is for access to the tanks andpumps, and is of course open during use of the unit, and 0therwise ,isclosed.- For this purpose sliding doors 12 are provided. In order fullyto expose the surfaces of the closure at all times, thus rendering themuseful for advertising purposes, the doors are arranged for verticalsliding movement, moving downwardly to open the head room andupwardly'to close the same.

It is a merit of the invention that the simple release of the duplicatesi panels or doors permits them to move un er their own weight to openor pump exposing positioi This is accomplished in a relatively slow andorderly fashion through the instrumentality 10o independently of thelevers to permit a latchof retardin elements operatin on the dashpotprincip e.. For example, e doors have marginal sleeves 13 whichtelescope rods 14 secured to the cabinet. The sleeve end opposed to therod is blind except for an orifice or bleeder 15. Hence, under the aircushion thus provided the doors when released will gravitate slowly andeasily to open position.

A hood 16, of upwardly converging side and end walls, is fitted onto theu per edges of the side walls 1 and 2, and is esigned to carry lockingmeans to secure the doors in closed relation. In addition to the usualtop or display light, an electric lamp 17 is mounted in the extremeupper portion of the hood,

so that the latter acts as a reflector to flood the head room withlight.

The locking means includes rods 18 ranging longitudinally of the hoodand mounted for rocking movement. They carry latches 19, adasted toengage the upper marginal lips or anges 20 of the doors to secure thelatter in closed position. The rods 18 have radial arms 21, connected byrods 22 to angularly directed arms 23 of pivotally mounted levers 24 inone of the side walls. The levers 24 have terminal eyes 25, and asinglepadlock is sufiicient to lock the system. The rods 18 are normallyheld in latching position by a suitable sprin 26, and the arms 24 needsimply be operate to release thedoor latching mechanlsm.

Evidently separating movement of levers 24 will shift the latches 19,release the doors, and permit the latter to slowly gravitate to openposition without further attention. As before stated, the latch carryingrods 18 are spring'influenced towards locking position of the latches,and the connection with the levers 24 is such that the latches can bemoved ing operation of the doors.

Independent or individual tanks 27 and their pump connections arearranged in the cabinet, supported at their lower ends on the frameelements. To secure the pumps in compact unit relation, and also tocause the upper frame cross bars 7 of the frames to interlock with thetanks opposed or duplicate set-screws 28, 29 are provided. Under strainof the set-screws 28, 29, the side 'bars 7 are held rigidly to insurethat the curved edges 8 of such bars to overlie the edges of the tanks,and secure the latter in place. On loosening the set screws, the bars 7may be forced outwardly to a degree suflicient' to release the tanks.

The improved cabinet thus supports a plurality of tanks with their pumpconnections, the tanks being, however, inde endently removable,'whennecessary, while eing rigidly held together and within thecabinet underthe described securing means. The doors'are mounted so that when openingthey are simply released and permitted to gravitate slowly to their openposition, thereby obvi ating the necessity for directly manipulating orhandling the doors for the opening operation. The doors present theirfull surface area in unobstructed view at all times to increase theirvalue as advertising panels. The cabinet is open atyboth front and rear,permitting access from either point, and permittinga full view of theinterior of the cabinet from either point. The top serves to interlockall movable parts, and at the same time provides a means whereby thepumps may be subjected to a flood light for convenience in nig t use andto rovide an attractive display. A single ocking means, accessible romthe exterior, serves as a complete lock for all parts, and after beingreleased may be immediately relocked without interfering with thecapability of the locking of the doors at any subsequent time. This,rovides an advantage in avoiding the possi ility of overlooking thefinal locking after closing the doors. Y

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A cabinet formed in its lowerportion for the reception of independent tanks, doors 7 closing theupper portion of the cabinet above the tanks, iding elements on theedges of the doors ormed as cylinders with closed upper ends havingrelief openings, and guide rods on the cabinet fitting said cylinders.

- 2. A cabinet of skeleton form having end walls, a frame for supportinga battery of tanks, said frame being arranged in the lower portion ofthe cabinet and including upper I bars having their mar inal edgesinreg1ster with the upper edges 0% the tanks, and means for strainingsuch bars to cause their upper edges toengage and hold the tanks.

3. A cabinet formed in the lower portion for the receptioh ofindependent tanks, doors closing the upper portion of the cabinet abovethe tanks, a to carried by the cabinet, means carried by t e top forlocking the doors in closed relation, operative means ac-' cessible fromthe exterior of the cabinet for actuating the locking means, saidoperative means being designed for independent locking, the lockingmeans functionlng independently of the locked condition of the operativemeans.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

ARTHUR E. DA NPORT.

